Día 9 - martes, el 17 de enero

Today was our last full day in Costa Rica.  That’s hard to believe!  After breakfast we headed to Manuel Antonio National Park.  The main attractions there are the beaches and the wildlife, and it lived up to the hype.  The actual size of the beach is smaller than the public one, but it’s really nice because they only let a certain number of people in the park each day, so it doesn’t get over-crowded.  Also, the sand (especially in the water) was SO smooth!  There weren’t any little rocks that you had to walk on once you were in the water.  And the best part was the gentle waves.  Again (comparing it to the public beach) the public beach had big, powerful waves that you had to brace yourself against, but the Manuel Antonio beach had gentle waves that were more like swells in the water that lifted you up off the sand.  You could just hang out in the water and enjoy everything--it was absolutely perfect!  By far the best beach I have ever been to.  We all enjoyed the water, then moved to some shade (which there was plenty of on this beach, too) and then headed back to the water all morning long.  Some people got a little fried yesterday, so they spent more time in the shade than the rest of us.  I was very glad that they were being smart today about their sun exposure!

Part of the hike to the park entrance.

One of the highlights of Manuel Antonio was the monkeys.  We had heard that there was an abundance of monkeys in Manuel Antonio.  Jimmy told us that they’re sort of land-locked there because the entire national park is surrounded by African Palm plantations, which they don’t like, so they won’t travel through them to get out of the park.  So they just stay there.  The problem with that is they have in-bred for many years and now are getting weaker.  So, they’re planting bridges of rain forest (re-foresting parts of the plantations) so they can get out and breed with other monkeys.  I thought that was interesting.  Anyway, mid-morning Jimmy came to the water & told us that the monkeys were moving through to find food.  So we got out of the water & at first saw a few monkeys high up in the trees.  Then as more moved through there were tons of monkeys, and they are so used to people they’ll come right down near everyone on the ground, pick up their seeds or fruit for food and then climb back up in the trees.  Some of them are sneaky little guys and will even steal people’s belongings--mostly food that they can find, but also sunglasses, cameras, etc.  So you have to be careful because once a monkey’s got it you’re not going to get it back!  I got some great pictures that I can’t wait to show Lucas and Leah.

We left Manuel Antonio around noon and ate lunch at a Costa Rican fast food chicken place called “Chicken on the Run” (in English).  The chicken and the cole slaw were both very tasty.

Then we drove to San José.  The drive along the Pacific was especially beautiful.  It was sad to say good-bye to the ocean.  (Especially when it will most likely be years before I see it again.)  But the weather in San José is so refreshing--cooler and less humid.  We’re back at the same hotel we were at the first night, which is really nice. 

The students all wanted to go to the food court of the nearby mall to eat supper, so I went with them and we all ate at Quizno’s.  It was good to have a little taste of home.  After supper we found a frozen yogurt place in the mall for dessert.  Dudley and Bernie ate at a different restaurant near our hotel and they had a great meal, too. 

It’s hard to believe that we head home tomorrow.  It’s been an awesome trip, but I’m also glad to head home and see Josh, Lucas & Leah.  I miss them a lot.

I feel so fortunate to have been able to experience this trip with such an awesome group of students.  They’ve really been great.  I’m sure I’ll reflect more on that tomorrow. :)

Pues, hasta mañana.  Only one more entry left.  For my first attempt at blogging, I’d say that it’s gone pretty well. :)

Hasta, y ¡Pura vida!